Get yourself out there
Tips for up and coming musicians.
A few weeks ago I watched a documentary about Canadian rockers Nickelback. While the mundane nature of Chad Kroger’s personality almost put me in a coma, he did give great advice for up and coming musicians.
His story to fame was coated in one very simple and easy to follow message. Do it yourself. The days of playing in local pubs, to a crowd of your parents and a half-deaf barman whilst hoping and dreaming that a record producer will conveniently stroll in and witness the next big thing in the music world, are over. Welcome to the days of tireless self-promotion. I’m here to aid those whose dream it is to headline Glastonbury or make a platinum selling album.
Step number one is to get organised.
Sort out your line up and make sure that musically everyone is on the same page. There is no point being a band with a bass player who wants to play death metal and a guitarist who wants to play funk. However, that sort of fusion could be interesting. Once the line up is right and ready to go, get practicing.
Consistent practice in any field of work is the key to perfection.
And perfection pays off. Work together and get a feel for the other musicians around you. Take note on their preferred styles of playing and manipulate these skills to your advantage.
Get writing.
Writing your own songs is the essential part of being a musician. The most important thing to remember about writing is to be personal. Listeners will relate to what is being said and embrace it. A mutual respect is built when musicians are honest with their audiences. Again, write to your strengths. Writing is often the most difficult part of being in a band, so be patient. You will not start off sounding exactly how you want to. Keep putting in the effort and eventually the songs will come.
The next step is gigging.
After you have written your songs, make a general attempt at classifying your band, for example rock, metal, punk, blues…etc. This will help you in the search for the right locations to play gigs. This is also where the business end of music begins. At first, accept every gig you are offered and if possible organise your own gigs. Talk to bands who you admire and look up to musically. If you are under 18, try renting out community centres and church halls first.
Get yourself on Bebo, MySpace or some form of an Internet page.
Don’t ever be afraid to promote your gig. Tell your friends, their friends and everybody else’s friends. Don’t discriminate due to musical tastes. You never know who you could convert. Put up pictures, videos, a biography and contact details as well any gig details or recordings. Use the page to give people an understanding of what kind of a band you are and keep reiterating the band name.
After that, if you are going strong, make some recordings of your songs and try to release an EP or a small album. There are plenty of studios around and a lot of people studying to be sound engineers who would love to take bands on.
I must remind you that these are guidelines and not keys to definite success.
Some other important rules:
- Have as many contacts as possible in as many areas as possible. You never know who you might need and when.
- Always stay open minded to ideas. Sometimes the most unlikely idea is the best one.
- Most importantly, enjoy yourself. Music is one of the greatest gifts known to mankind so enjoy it, embrace and love it.
By: Rory Kavanagh
Your Comments
There are no comments for this article yet, please leave one!
Login to leave a comment on this article
Login | Sign Up